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According to Elon Musk, the first individual received an implant from his computer-brain interface business, Neuralink, over the weekend.
In a Monday post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Musk stated that the patient had received the implant the day before and was “recovering well.” He went on to say that “initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”
The billionaire who co-founded Neuralink did not offer any other information about the patient. When Neuralink announced in September that it will begin recruiting, the business stated that it was looking for persons with quadriplegia caused by cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Neuralink is one of many groups aiming to connect the nervous system to computers, with the goal of treating brain illnesses, overcoming brain injuries, and other applications. Clinicaltrials.gov reports that more than 40 brain-computer interface experiments are now underway.
Neuralink reprinted Musk’s Monday post on X, but did not include any more statements on the human implant. The corporation did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’s request for comment on Tuesday.
Neuralink earlier reported that the US Food and Drug Administration had authorized its “investigational device exemption,” which normally permits a sponsor to begin a clinical study “in patients who fit the inclusion criteria,” according to the FDA. The government clarified that it cannot confirm or release details regarding a specific study of this nature.
Neuralink’s device is around the size of a large coin and is intended to be implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires leading directly to the brain. In its September release, Neuralink stated that the wires would be surgically implanted in a brain area that regulates movement intention. The initial purpose of the so-called brain computer interface is to enable people to control a computer cursor or keyboard with their thoughts alone.
In a separate Monday post on X, Musk stated that the first Neuralink product is dubbed “Telepathy” and will allow customers to manage their phones or computers “just by thinking.” He stated that the first users will be people who had lost use of their limbs.
It’s uncertain how well this gadget or similar interfaces will operate in the long run, let alone how secure they are. Clinical studies are intended to collect information on safety and efficacy.
In response to Musk’s Monday announcement, King’s College London professor Anne Vanhoestenberghe stated that Neuralink has now joined a “rather small group” of firms that have implanted their devices in humans. However, quantifying performance and safety will take time, as will the sharing of additional information from Neuralink.
“We know Elon Musk is very good at generating publicity for his company, so we can expect announcements as soon as they start testing, but true success, in my opinion, should be measured in the long run, by how stable the interface is over time and how much it benefits the participant,” said Vanhoestenberghe, who specializes in active implantable medical devices. She said that there is “insufficient information” to determine the procedure’s safety at this time.
